Stepping Stones / حَصى الطُرُقات: A Refugee Family's Journey / رحلة عائلة لاجئة

by Margriet Ruurs, Nizar Ali Badr (Artist), Falah Raheem (Translator)

This unique picture book was inspired by the stone artwork of Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr, discovered by chance by Canadian children's writer Margriet Ruurs. The author was immediately impressed by the strong narrative quality of Mr. Badr's work, and, using many of Mr. Badr's already-created pieces, she set out to create a story about the Syrian refugee crisis. Stepping Stones tells the story of Rama and her family, who are forced to flee their once-peaceful village to escape the ravages of the civil war raging ever closer to their home. With only what they can carry on their backs, Rama and her mother, father, grandfather and brother, Sami, set out to walk to freedom in Europe. Nizar Ali Badr's stunning stone images illustrate the story.
Orca Book Publishers is pleased to offer this book as a dual-language (English and Arabic) edition.

Genres: Picture Books, Art, War, Childrens, Cultural, Family, Social Justice

28 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 2016

About the author

Margriet Ruurs is the author of more than 40 children's books, many of them award winners.
Margriet lives on Salt Spring Island where she runs BETWEEN THE COVERS, a booklovers' B & B (see: http://www.betweenthecoversbandb.com/)
She writes regular book reviews of YA and picturebooks here: http://margrietruurs.blogspot.ca/

Margriet visits schools around the world to conduct dynamic author presentations, slideshows of the writing process and poetry writing workshops for students and teachers. She also speaks at many literary conferences each year.
Margriet has a Master of Education degree from Simon Fraser University.

She also conducts school talks via Skype.

For more details visit her website and blog: www.margrietruurs.com
Join her Facebook Fan page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Margrie...

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever read a picture book quite like this one. A collaboration between a Canadian author and a Syrian artist, Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family's Journey is a picture book that takes a sensitive look at the plight of ordinary families who are forced to flee their homes due to war.

The illustrations are all created with stones and then photographed. Somehow, the artist manages to create living, breathing pictures with rocks that show a family's journey to freedom and safety. Each picture on its own is beautiful enough, but, put all together with the simple but poignant story, this turns into a book that's really a work of art.

I might exercise caution giving a book like this to very young children, as there is one depiction of little stone people who perished in the sea. It might be a little too much for small children, but ones who are old enough to understand the dangers facing these families can see how perilous a journey it is for some. (It's not graphic, really, but it is disturbing when you realize what those stones are depicting.)

Overall, I think this is a very strong picture book about an important topic. Something like this can help foster understanding and empathy. I'd definitely recommend it.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr’s compositions of stones beautifully and vibrantly portray the actions and emotions of his war-ravaged countrymen. After discovering Nizar’s amazing work on Facebook, the author contacted and obtained Nizar’s permission for them to collaborate on this book. Nizar, who lives in Latakia, Syria, collects rocks from the beach, has insufficient funds to glue his portrayals, and dismantles his pieces once photographed. Margriet wanted to help raise funds for Syrian refugees and to display Nizar’s talent to the world. Written in English and Arabic, this is one family’s life before and after the civil war erupted in Syria. Well-written with remarkable and rocking artwork of an incredibly talented sculptor. Portions of the proceeds of the book are provided to resettlement organizations in North America.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning stone artwork of Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr is the inspiration for this story about Rama and her family, who are forced to flee their once-peaceful village to escape the ravages of the civil war. With only what they can carry on their backs, Rama and her mother, father, grandfather and brother, Sami, set out to walk to freedom in Europe. A moving, bilingual refugee story in English and Arabic.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautiful: the story, the images, even the foreword describing its inception. I encourage you to read it and then share it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stepping Stones is a beautiful tale of hope in the midst of crisis. It's easy to see how Ruurs was so inspired by Nizar Ali Badr's art that she felt she needed to write something to accompany it. The stone work art makes for an incredible illustration to accompany the story. You'd have to have a heart of stone to not be moved by Badr's art (no pun intended). The foreword was honestly my favourite part to read, but the pictures made every page worth turning. Ruurs manages to tell the story in a heartfelt and tender way that neither minimises the experiences of Syrian refugees, nor makes them too complex or graphic for children to understand.

I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a picture book on the Syrian refugee crisis, or for anyone looking to catch sight of some beautiful artwork.

[Franki Sibberson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Foreword and note about the illustrator is important. Love the story of the collaboration between author and illustrator.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stepping Stones is a collaboration of Canadian author Margriet Ruurs and Syrian stone work artist Nizam Ali Badr that tells the story of Rama and her family. For Rama, living in Syria means waking up to breakfast prepared by Mama, with tomatoes from the garden. It means playing outside with her friends and brother Sami, and it means stories in the evening when Papa comes home from work. So many wonderful days and memories, until war comes to Rama's country. Families started leaving her village and one day, she also left with Mama, Papa, Jedo (grandfather), and Sami. Walking with only the things they can carry, they join the "river of people" fleeing the war with its destructive bombs. Then Rama and her family take an overloaded boat to a new land, walk some more, until finally they are welcomed by the people living in their new village far away from the war in Syria.

The story of Rama and her family is similar to the story that the young narrator tells in The Journey and certainly just as compelling. The text is simple and Ruurs has really captured how confusing and frightening it is to go from a life filled with love and serenity to one that knows only fear and upheaval and the hardships refugees experience on their journey. To it credit, the story is written in both English and Arabic, increasing its accessibility to young readers.

What makes this book unusual is the artwork done by Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr. Using carefully and skillfully placed stones, he has created Rama's tight-knit family and surroundings, creatively capturing all the mixed emotions and feelings that they experience as they flee.

I liked that in The Journey there are no names used for the family, making it a kind of Everyman tale, encompassing all refugees regardless of when, where, or what the circumstances of their leaving might be, while Stepping Stones personalized the story by naming the family members on their journey to freedom and safety, yet both stories are so much the same.

War inevitably leads to people fleeing from the fighting, the persecutions, because their homes, schools, cities, towns and villages have been bombed and/or shelled to smithereens, because of the color of their skin, their religion, or simply because they have been caught in the middle of someone else's war. We see it everyday on the news and so do our children. The Journey and Stepping Stones are two excellent books that will help young readers understand what is happening to the children they see on TV. I can't recommend them highly enough.

This book is recommended for readers age 5+
This book was purchased for my personal library

This review was originally posted HERE

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This title first came to my attention courtesy of my friend, Johnna. What an amazing title. There are so many reasons to read this book. Among them:

1. The story of refugees - those we see on the news every day - is brought to a realistic brilliance not often seen.
2. An amazing story to convey to children (and adults), the value of empathy and the struggle of fellow human beings on the planet at this time.
3. The illustrations created with stones and rocks convey feelings, emotions, and actions never conceived of by me before. This man is a genius.

Please read. Please recommend. This short but powerful read is not to be missed.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruurs here tells the story of a family from an unnamed Middle Eastern country as they flee from their home in search of a safe place to live. What makes this book stand out are Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr’s stunning and unique illustrations done entirely in stones found along the beach. As Ruurs asks in her foreword, “How can stones display such emotion?” Lucky for us that she discovered this artist and persuaded him to do a book with her. His illustrations are incredible. He finds just the right sizes and shapes of stones. My favorite illustration is the rooster crowing. I highly recommend this book for its important message and its unique illustrations.

[Niki Marion · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I needed to read today, the day after the inauguration.

Nizar Ali Badr's stone collage illustrations are so moving and full of life that I gasped when I saw the first spread.

We need more stories of the Syrian refugee experience, and I'm so glad Orca Books saw the value and importance in publishing this narrative.

Would be great in a pairing with THE JOURNEY by Francesca Sanna for another incredibly illustrated refugee story.

[Kristin Sager · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, everyone should read and reflect on this moving story...especially those in Washington DC.

[Nhi Nguyễn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Một cuốn sách vừa đẹp vừa đau lòng, kể câu chuyện của những người tị nạn Syria, một ngày kia buộc phải trốn chạy khỏi quê nhà nội chiến để đến với hòa bình tại các nước châu Âu. Câu chuyện ấy được kể thông qua những tác phẩm bằng sỏi đá của nhà điêu khắc Nizar Ali Badr, một người con của chính đất nước Syria đang hỗn loạn. Không phải gia đình nào cũng toàn vẹn cập bến bờ an toàn trên những con tàu chở họ đi tị nạn... Nhiều đoạn đọc thực sự muốn khóc...

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an unusual move, the author of this book contacted the illustrator for the right to create a story based on the beautiful artwork the illustrator had made using collages of stones. The author used the collages to tell the story of a happy child who had to flee Syria with her family to escape the dangers of war.

Amazing illustrations. Set in Syria.

[Dee Dee G · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way the stones were used for the pictures was so unique.

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

The country of Syria and the plight of its citizens is presently at the forefront of the news. There are many books that deal with the plight of Syrian refugees but Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey has to be one of the more exceptional ones. Margriet Ruur’s melodic and expressive text, translated into Arabic, captures the themes of fear, anxiety, displacement, freedom, hope and acceptance narrated through a child’s eyes. It is the artwork in this book though that makes it exceptional. The manner in which the artist Nizar Ali Badr has used simple stones, that he collects himself from the beach, to convey the most intimate details of family life is truly unique and extraordinary. What is seemingly a flat and lifeless medium has brought to life images of families in crisis fleeing their homes looking for sanctuary. We highly recommend this text and older children in particular will appreciate the artistry and meaning in this text. UQP has provided teaching notes with links to video clips to further explain the humanitarian crisis.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, poignant story with simple yet stunning stones-and-photography artwork. To convey so much expression through stones is incredible. The refugee family’s journey is generic enough for many refugees to relate to, while the emotional impact of their experiences is accessible to everyone. Having the text in both English and Arabic significantly increases the audience. May this book bring solace, hope, and understanding. Highly recommended.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one of a kind! The illustrations tell a story alone, because they were inspired by the stone artwork by Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr. This story would be great when teaching students about refugees because it is told through a child's perspective, so I think the students would relate to it easier. One of the many reasons why I really like this story was because it embraces diversity and tells the story is told in another language, underneath the English part.

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 5 out of 5]

While sad and ultimately triumphant, this story is made even more real by its close ties to current events, including the fact that Nizar Ali Badr, whose art has inspired so many, is a native of Syria.

Full review here: https://www.theproblemsite.com/book-s...

[Kathy Stinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story behind this book, as told in its foreword, is as wonderful as the book itself, which I had the pleasure of being introduced to at a Welcome Neighbours event for Syrian refugees near my home.

[Emily Fields · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a wonderful book that shows a refugee's family story. It contains lots of pictures that have significant meaning behind them. Older students can really appreciate the pictures and have a very elaborate discussion. This book can really capture the emotions of what refugee's go through.

[Margriet · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAo0m...

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture book about Syrian refugees and their journey. All the pictures are made with stones and are done by a Syrian artist.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important story showing the journey of a Syrian refugee family. The artwork is beautiful designed completely of stones by a Syrian artist.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pictures were incredible!

[Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Rama and her family are forced to flee from their home because of the repercussions of war. Rama recounts her travels as she is at first enjoying her life at home with neighbors and friends and then forced to walk miles and miles, where she describes the outside trees and sky as one last boost of motivation to keep going. The genre of the book is realistic fiction and it is also contemporary as it was written in the last 20 years. In similarity to Paper Son, Stepping Stones also has the shared theme of hope. Hope is rather common in refugee and immigrant stories and this is shown by how Rama and her family preserved walking, no matter in what condition. They strived for a place with peace and not face the scars of war. Another theme is Freedom. Rama talks about how she's able to play happily with her brother, Sami, and how her grandfather was able to fish while her mother sewed silk scarves. These were all things Rama took for granted and to be able to have that freedom to do all those things she mentioned is just really powerful. This book deserves to be a WOW book because not only has the author gone to great lengths by cooperating and trying to spread the experience of someone who has gone through such an ordeal but the story is captivating through illustration and storyline. If I were to share this book with children, I would want them to know how life-changing refugee experiences are, to always embrace anyone you know that is a refugee and not push them aside. This book can really hone in on teaching children the concept of acceptance and determination. Acceptance is always embracing people for who they are and this is seen in how Rama's new neighbors welcome them with open arms. Determination through going through times of trouble through thick and thin.

The author's use of figurative language is so interesting to take apart and analyze. Imagery is seen when Rama mentions how her legs were trees rooted to the soil to show how strenuous the walk was. A simile is mentioned when Rama says "My legs felt like the rocks", and this actually ties back to a symbolic object, the rock. The illustrations were all done in rock art but in my opinion, there's a deeper meaning. The rock represents all the struggles and hardships, the Syrian people have gone through. It shows that no matter what, the rock keeps rolling, and how people overcome their obstacles. Stepping Stones also shows visibility by focusing on the experiences of Syrian refugees. It's also a prime example of the "windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors" concept because the civil war in Syria is still ongoing as many people are forced to flee to Europe so the message of the book can relate to many children and families who have gone through that life-changing experience.

[Krysten Morgan]

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Levels: K-6
Themes: Refugee, Family, Syrian
Major Award: N/A

Summary- This book tells the story of a young girl named Rama whose family is forced to leave their home in Syria. Rama felt free in her old life in Syria, however, war had come to their country and it was no longer safe. The family brought only what they could carry and started walking. Once they made it to the sea, they got on a boat. They finally reached Europe where they couldn’t understand the language, but they were welcomed with open arms. The story ends with Rama wondering if this would always be their home or if they would go back to Syria.

Personal Response- This book really made me feel for the young children who face this kind of thing. The combination of words from the author and the beautiful illustrations made it easy to feel as though this was real family going through these struggles. I think it is also really cool that the images are created by Nizar Ali Badr who lives in Syria. This gives the story more validity because he has seen and been around people who have been forced to leave. The fact that he was able to show such emotion in his images although they were just rocks is really impressive. This book is written in Arabic as well as English. I see a lot of Spanish-English books, but this is the first of its kind that I have seen.

Other Info- N/A

Reader response/Classroom Connection -
1) After reading this story, we could talk about whose point of view wasn’t heard. It was told from Rama’s point of view, so we didn't hear from the parents, grandfather, brother, or other families who were forced to flee. We could talk about what these people may have had to say in certain situations about the book. Students could even try to rewrite the book from a different character’s perspective.

2) After reading, students could create their own stories with items from nature. They could either bring items in that they found on their own, or the class could take a nature walk to gather materials. They would each then create an image or images using those materials, take a photo of it, and create a story to go along with it. They could talk about the illustrator and where he came from and why he creates images this way.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey is written by Margriet Ruurs and illustrated by Nazar Ali Badr. This book was selected by the recommendation of Children's Books in Children's Hands, Chapter 9. I found and read it in a digital ebook version through the Libby app. According to the author, she came across the illustrator's work online. This was her inspiration in writing and telling this story, while also raising funds for Syrian refugees. Margriet had never seen such unique artwork created with stone before. She contacted Nazar, who lives in Syria and created a story using his artwork. This book is dual language, written in both English and Arabic.

In this story, the main character is a young girl named Rama who looks back on her carefree life, living with her family in Syria. She describes mornings waking up to the sound of her mother making breakfast and long days playing out in the sun with her brother and friends. The story quickly shifts from life back then until now. Suddenly, there is not enough food for the people in her community to eat. Slowly, people begin to trickle out and leave. It is when bombs and war enter her neighborhood that her family decides to leave, led by hope. They travel a great distance, across the ocean and arrive in a new land where they are welcomed with open arms.

The stone images in the book capture the hot desert and give an authentic element to the story. The stones in the images were collected on a beach in Syria, so they carry native value to the artwork. I think these images make this story unique. The author conveys the words in a poetic manner that flows from page to page.

I would use this text in the upper grades to teach about survival in connection to world events and social studies topics. Students could write their own stories highlighting their own family’s journey and how they came to be in the United States. I would use this story with younger students to teach about plot and overcoming obstacles. Students could reflect and share challenging obstacles they have been faced with in their life.

[Tim Buchko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking at the cover of this piece of Stepping Stones, I thought that maybe this book was about art or something else to do with rocks. Still, I would have never thought this story would show the perseverance and hope of this Syrian family wanting to find a new life away from war. Stepping Stones showed me that this family had the hope and courage to leave their home to find a better life. Stepping Stones resides in Contemporary Realistic fiction. I learned that leaving your home where you have so many memories can be a very challenging thing for you to do, but being safe away from war is more important than your home. This book is a WOW book for me because it talks about an issue of war and having to move away to safer lands, and this issue happens all the time in today's world with war and conflict in other countries.
This book starts by showing the boy's family and what they do on a day-to-day basis, such as waking up to the rooster, running around, and his parents working outside, a pretty simple life if you ask me, but this all changes when war breaks out in their country of Syria and they are forced to move away to safety. During their journeys, the boy is exhausted and sad because all he has of his home is memories. But they can start a new life in a new home where they are safe. Some literary devices that were used are imagery and symbolism. The imagery was used when the book gave extreme detail on the family's travels to get away from their home. Symbolism is used in the story to show the strength that the family had while they escaped their home. This book shows non-biased opinions because they include refugee experiences and does not shed light on who is fighting the war and why they are having to leave.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story, written in English and Arabic, is about a young girl named Rama and her family who flee their country in fear of the destruction and horrors of war. Rama’s life changes as she sees her friends and neighbors move away and soon her own family is forced to move to start the difficult journey for a new life.

The artwork is unlike anything I have seen before. The illustrations are created with stones that, when put together, form people that convey emotion of the text on each page. It begins with peace and playfulness, which turn into fear and sacrifice and, in the end, peace and hope.

One line that stuck with me was, “My feet felt like the rocks on which we walked.” This line represents the hardship and strife that refugees are forced to live through to survive their war-torn country.

Reading the foreword from author, Margriet Ruurs, tells the story of her search for the artist, Nizar Ali Badr, who created these incredible pieces of stone art. Nizar Ali Badr is an experienced sculptor who lives in Syria and uses stones to tell stories of war.

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey was given the 2017 Notable Books for a Global Society and was chosen for the Junior Library Guild Selection.

[Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very unique book about a family forced to leave behind everything as one of many Syrian refugees. The artwork is stunning as it is all done with rocks. A story and moving art creations enjoyed by children and adults. The foreword of how the author and illustrator came together on this book is fascinating.